Dance of the Butterfly
by ScarletWynter
Summary: When Maichou Harumi is discovered by the Soul Society, her world is drastically changed. Will she meet the man of her dreams, or will her world come crashing down? This is her story.
1. Chapter 1

I was born in the human world, in a little town called Karakura town. At first, I didn't know anything about the Soul Society, or hollows, or anything like that. I never would have known that someone like me, would actually be a part of something so big, so unlike myself.

"Ichi! Where have you been?" I yelled when I saw him come into our classroom one morning. He walked over to me and gave me a kiss. He quickly pulled back and his hand flew to his lips.

"Sorry Mai...force of habit," he said, looking away. I smiled, and kissed him again. Ichigo and I had dated a while back, and had just recently broken up. He was still my first love, but we both decided to just go back to being friends.

"You can kiss me as many times as you like," I replied. He cocked his head at me, and shrugged dismissively.

"So anyway, where have you been?" I asked, sitting down with him.

"...beautiful weather we're having," he said, staring out the window, clearly avoiding the question. I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. He was always doing this, dodging questions he didn't feel like answering. After that, we went about our day, boring as usual.

"Can I walk you home?" he offered, meeting me after class.

"Sure!" I exclaimed, smiling. I took his hand and we walked down the street together. We lived in the same neighborhood, my house being across from his. By the time we got home, the sun had already started to set, changing the sky into bright colors of red and orange. We stopped in front of my house and said goodbye, sharing one last small kiss before parting. I went up to my room and threw my book bag on the ground, some of it's contents flying out onto the floor around it. I immediately opened my window and put my head out to feel the breeze. My long light brown hair blowing slightly in the breeze.

"Hey, long time no see," I heard from across the street. I looked towards Ichigo's house and saw him in his bedroom, window open, staring at me and smiling. I stared at him for a second, wondering why we ever broke up. But then I remembered. We were hanging out all the time, everything was normal. And then all of a sudden he just stopped being there. I saw him occasionally, but most of the time he was gone. He was always with the new girl Rukia and when he wasn't he was just never there. I got tired of asking and him not saying anything, and I got tired of just not seeing him. So, I ended it. I still loved him, but it was just too hard. We talked for a little, shouting across the street at each other like we occasionally did when he was there. The sun had finally set, and the moon was full. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise behind me. I quickly spun around to see a tall, red haired guy standing in my bedroom. He stared at me for a second, wide eyed and spaced out, but then he quickly snapped out of it and went back to looking stern once again.

"Um...hi?" I said, moving back a little.

"Hey. Come with me," he replied quickly, thrusting his hand out to me.

"What...who...huh?" I was at a loss for words. So many questions spiraled through my head.

"All your questions will be answered soon enough. Now, we have to leave." I stared at him for a second, and then backed up again, preparing to make the two story jump to the grass around my house. He sighed and shook his head, and then all of a sudden he was gone. I shifted my eyes left and right, trying to see if he was gone, and then let out my held breath. I ran to my window and looked to Ichigo. He was staring at me confused.

"What's going on?" he yelled, seeing the clear distress on my face.

"I...I don't know. Some strange guy-" and then everything went black. I felt a hand on the back of my neck, and the last thing I heard was Ichigo yelling.

"You didn't have to knock her out..." I heard an unfamiliar voice say.

"Yeah, and you could have _warned_ me. I nearly had a heart attack." I slowly opened my eyes and could only see a few fuzzy shapes. I blinked a few times until everything became clear. I saw the new girl Rukia, Ichigo, and the red-haired jerk that brought me here.

"You!" I screamed, jumping up from wherever I was. I was right up in his face and his eyes were wide.

"Easy, easy girl," Ichigo said grasping me from behind and pulling me close to him.

"Will _someone_ explain what the hell is going on?" I yelled.

"Yes. I will." Everyone turned towards the doorway.

"Brother!" Rukia greeted, bowing her head in respect.

"Hello Maichou, my name is Byakuya Kuchiki, and I am the captain of the sixth squad of the thirteen guard squads of the Soul Society. This is Renji, my vice captain," he gestured towards the red-haired guy. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Byakuya.

"Okay...let's cut to the chase. Why am I here?" I asked quickly.

"Well, a little bit ago, three of our captains turned on us and left, leaving three of our squads without captains. We've been searching and searching for people who have enough spirit energy to be able to be captains, and we stumbled upon you. I don't know how we missed you for so long...but we did. You have one of the strongest concentrations of spirit energy we have ever seen, especially coming from the human world," he explained.

"So...?"

"We would like for you to be one of our captains."

"But I...what...huh?" Again, I was at a loss for words.

"Would you all excuse us for a while? I'd like to explain everything to her," Byakuya said, dismissing everyone. They all nodded and walked out, closing the large sliding door behind them. We sat together on the floor for another three hours. He proceeded to answer all of my questions, telling me what I'd have to do as a captain, who my team was, how to access my powers, everything.

"And you can come to me if you ever need anything." I smiled at him.

"Thank you, Byakuya-kun," I replied, standing up. He stood up with me and walked me to the door, opening it for me and stepping outside. I stared up at the sky for a second. It looked normal, and if they hadn't told me I never would have known that I was really in the Soul Society.

"I'm sorry I can't show you around the Soul Society, I have a lot of work to get done, but it looks like someone else is eager to show you around," he said, looking past me at someone else. I turned quickly, expecting to see Ichigo, but was instead greeted by Renji. He had a sheepish grin on his face and his hands were shoved nervously in his pockets. I turned back to look at Byakuya again but he was already gone, shut away in his office to do work. I looked at Renji and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Where's Ichigo?" I said through my teeth. I was not in the mood to deal with Renji in the slightest. He practically kidnapped me and I had no intention of being friends with this guy, at least not now.

"Um...around the corner with Rukia. I'll go get him..." he said quickly, scurrying off to get him.

"Yeah, you better run," I muttered under my breath. I wasn't sure what was in store for me, what I was going to encounter, or who I was going to meet, but if they were anything like the few I had just met, I was in for a hell of a journey.


	2. Chapter 2

"And here is your squad's base," Ichigo pointed out as he finished showing me around the Soul Society. I stopped in front of a monumental building with the insignia "9" on it.

"Where's your base?" I questioned, looking at him. He chuckled.

"I don't have a base, think of me like...a rouge shinigami," he replied. I nodded then looked back at my base.

"Well, then, I guess this is where we part," I said solemnly. He grabbed me in a hug and kissed the top of my head.

"Not for long Mai, I'll still be around." I smiled and gave him a quick kiss before pulling away from the embrace. I stepped forward towards the sliding door that led to my base, took another look back at Ichigo, and walked inside, closing the door behind me. I took a few steps inward and looked around. I saw a lot of people walking around, some doing paperwork, and some sitting around talking, nothing major going on.

"Hey...can I help you? You look very, very lost." I spun around to see a guy with spiky brown hair, a punkish exterior, and a "69" tattoo on his face. His robe didn't have sleeves, exposing his very toned arms.

"Oh, hi. Uh, my name is Maichou Harumi. I'm your...new captain?" I explained wearily, still trying to grasp the concept of it all. His eyes widened and he bowed his head in respect.

"Captain! My name is Shuhei Hisagi, and I am your vice-captain." I nodded and smiled awkwardly. He looked at me for a second and scanned me up and down, looking confused.

"...what?" I asked, staring down at myself. I was still clothed in my school uniform and suddenly felt over-exposed, even though I knew I wasn't.

"Have you...have you even activated your Zanpakuto yet?"

"...my what?" His facade broke for a second and he cracked a smile, but quickly went back to his stony face.

"Come with me." I followed closely behind him as he led me down a narrow hallway. He opened a door leading to a barren outside area, there was only sand and a small tree in the area. He walked out to the center of the area and sat down, patting the sand in front of him. I slowly walked to where he was sitting and sat down across from him, crossing my legs to mirror him.

"Now, I want you to concentrate. Meditate. Find a place within your mind that contains something bigger than yourself," he explained, shutting his eyes. I figured he wanted me to do the same so I closed my eyes too. I took a deep breath. In through my nose, out through my mouth.

_Find something deeper than myself...something deeper than myself...some...one?_ I thought. I don't know what possessed me to think that there was someone else in my head. But I just...got a vibe. I got a feeling that I wasn't alone in my own head.

"Well you're right! You're not alone," a voice said. The voice was soft and syrupy, sweet and majestic, and yet mischievous and mysterious. I looked around inside myself, but saw nothing but darkness.

"Hello? Is...is someone there?" I heard a giggle echo through my mind, but still saw nothing.

_Concentrate...concentrate..._I told myself. I took another deep breath and looked around again. I noticed a figure, but it was blurry. I took another deep breath, and another, and then another. And with each breath, the figure grew clearer and clearer, until finally I could see it clearly. It was a tall, thin woman, with ankle length purple hair and large butterfly wings. She stalked towards me slowly, her wings moving from side to side with every step.

"Well hello there finally, Maichou. I've been waiting for ages for you to come find me," she said, stopping in front of me. She towered over me, a good two to three feet taller than I was. Her wings fluttered a bit, releasing a sparkling dust as they did.

"Who...are you?" I questioned, resisting the urge to reach out and touch her wings.

"I'm your Zanpakuto, Tsubasa-Mai," she replied, in her same mesmerizing voice.

"Your name's pretty close to mine..." She smirked.

"Yes, it is. It's because I'm a part of you, a part of your mind, body and spirit," she explained. "And now that we've met, we can finally fight together, side by side. All you have to do is call my name, and I'll be there in an instant." And just like that, she vanished. My eyes shot open and I took a sharp breath in. I held it for a second, then exhaled and relaxed. Hisagi put his hand on me knee and gave me a worried look.

"Is everything alright, captain?" I nodded and smiled slightly.

"Call me Maichou."

"What happened, did you find your Zanpakuto?"

"I think so," I said wearily. "Only one way to find out." I stood up, almost losing my balance as I stood. Hisagi was up in an instant, standing by my side making sure I didn't fall. I grabbed his shoulder and steadied myself, then took a deep breath.

"Tsubasa-Mai!" I called. All of a sudden, I started to glow. I became clothed in a Shinigami robe, and a sword appeared in my hands. On the hilt were imprints of wings, and the sword itself was enormous. It seemed as though it should be immensely heavy, and yet I could lift it as though it were as light as a feather.

"Wow...that is, a very large Zanpakuto," Hisagi marveled. I giggled, and as I did, I could hear the laughter of Tsubasa-Mai ringing in my head again. It was going to take a lot of time to get used to having another being inside my mind. I looked down at my Shinigami robe and wrinkled my nose.

"Something wrong?" Hisagi asked, catching my attention.

"It's kind of...manly," I replied. I knew everyone wore them, but still. I like my body and definitely like to show it off. He blinked a few times at me, and then burst out laughing, finally breaking his harsh exterior.

"You sound like a friend of mine. She can actually help you with your...robe problem," he said, composing himself slightly, but still smiling. "Go find the squad 10 barracks, you'll find her there. I'm pretty sure you'll know who I'm talking about when you see her." I beamed at him and quickly hugged him before running off. I took one look back at him and saw that he seemed sort of stunned, maybe startled by my hug. I giggled again and walked out the door to find the squad 10 base.


	3. Chapter 3

"Squad 10...squad 10...ah!" I was searching around for the squad 10 base, just like Hisagi said I should. I had been looking for a good twenty minutes at least, which is ridiculous. I'm at base 9, you'd think that base 10 would be right around the corner. Not so much. It was around the corner, down the street, across the other corner, and back down another street. But finally I was there. I slid the door open and it looked basically the same as my base. I walked around, trying to figure out who I was looking for. No one noticed me there, so I continued walking. I wandered towards two big sliding doors, figuring the more important looking the are was, the better. I slid one open far enough for me to fit, slipped inside, and shut the door behind me. I looked around and it looked like a normal office. There were two large windows that were giving the room amazing natural light, a couch and coffee table, and a desk piled high with paperwork.

"Do you need something?" I heard a voice say. I looked around, but didn't see anyone. I got a serious case of Deja Vu, but knew it wasn't Tsubasa-Mai. It sounded like a guy.

"Um...yes? I'm looking for someone," I replied wearily.

"Who?"

"I'm...not sure? My vice captain sent me here to look for a woman..." There was a pause. All of a sudden, the piles of papers on the desk shifted to either side of the desk and a person appeared.

"Oh!" I yelled, startled. I grasped my chest and exhaled. "You scared me." He shook his head and stood up from his chair. He walked over and stared at me.

"You must be the new captain, Maichou Harumi, of squad 9?" I nodded and smiled.

"At your service," I replied, giving him my hand. He took it and smirked at me.

"I'm captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, of squad 10."

"Ooh, who's this?" said a voice from behind me. I let go of Toshiro's hand and spun around to see who it was. It was a tall busty woman with long red hair, and just like Hisagi said, I immediately knew she was who I was supposed to find.

"Hi! I'm Maichou Harumi, the new captain of squad 9." It was weird introducing myself like that, but I actually kind of liked it.

"Oh, hi! I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, vice captain of this little one over here," she said with a laugh. He glared at her and walked back to his desk, starting his paperwork again. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Hisagi actually sent me to find you, I think," I replied awkwardly, not knowing how to phrase myself without sounding creepy. "I made a comment about my robe and he sent me to find you." It was obvious why he sent me to her after making comments about my robe. Her robe was very low cut, she had on a pink scarf and a large belt. She definitely did _not_ look manly in her robe.

"Ahh, oh Shuhei, of course he did," she said, chuckling. She stared me up and down and nodded. "Oh definitely, we'll fix that." She walked up to me and did a few things to the neck of my robe, pushing it down to around my shoulders. It was low down, showing a little cleavage, but was nothing compared to hers.

"Now, the key to make these ugly robes not so ugly is personalization!" she yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. I couldn't help but laugh, she was such a colorful character. "Let's go get your captain's robe cover." I didn't know what it was, but I figured she'd explain it.

"Thank you, captain Yamamoto!" Rangiku yelled behind her as we walked out of his office. I stopped and stared at it, feeling the fabric into my hands. It was long and white, sleeveless, and had the insignia of my squad on my back. I shimmied into it and felt better about the way I looked.  
>"Thanks for helping me, Rangiku," I said as we made our way back to the squad 10 base.<p>

"No problem, but we're not done yet," she replied, grabbing my arm and taking me down an alleyway.

"Where are we going?"

"Home! Well, your home, not mine." I decided not to ask why. We continued down the alleyway until we made it to two huge wooden doors. There were a few people guarding the doors, but when they saw the two of us they bowed and opened the doors for us. Rangiku smiled at them and pulled me along with her, towards the bright light that was shining from beyond the doors. A little frightened, I closed my eyes and stepped into the doorway, and when I opened my eyes we were back in Karakura town. I let out a breath that I hadn't noticed I was holding and stared up at my house.

"Home sweet home," I said quietly, leading Rangiku towards the front door.

"Are your parents home?" she asked as we walked into my house and up the stairs to my room.

"I don't have any parents," I said without looking at her. "They died in an accident when I was 9."

"..oh, I'm so sorry..." she replied quietly. I turned to look at her, a soft expression on my face.

"It's no biggie, it happened over 7 years ago." She had a sympathetic look on her face.

"What happened?" I thought about it for a second, trying to form the story in my head.

"When I was only 9 years old...my parents died in a fire. I was sitting in my room one night, staring out the window and gazing up at the moon like I did on many clear nights. But, something was different about tonight. I couldn't figure out what it was that made this night so different though. I ran into my parents' room, but they were sleeping. I started feeling hot, but couldn't figure out why. I looked around their room but didn't see anything, until I looked out the window. Someone had set our house on fire, and the fire was starting to crawl up the sides of my house. I ran to my mother and started to shake her, but she didn't wake up. Either did my father. I screamed, I cried, I tried everything I could think of to get them to wake up, but they just wouldn't. By then, the room was starting to catch fire too. I didn't know what to do, and I couldn't figure out where to go. I was so young, and so alone. The smoke had covered my eyes and filled my lungs, and I was continuously coughing. I started to black out, when I saw the silhouette of a person. He was covered in soot, and my eyes were clouded with smog so I had no idea who this person was. But I felt myself being picked up. And then I lost all consciousness. I thought I was dead. But when I opened my eyes again, I was in a nearby hospital. I looked outside and saw that it was raining, so I just assumed that the fire was gone and my parents were okay. But I looked around the hospital room and didn't see them anywhere. When I asked the doctor where my parents were he told me they were gone. My house and everything in it, including my parents, had burned to the ground. And the only thing left to remember them by is the burn I have on my left arm from the fire." I didn't realize until I had finished talking, but I had tears streaming down my face, and I was stroking my burned arm gently with my other hand. I looked at Rangiku, and she was crying a little too.

"...I'm so sorry.." she whispered. I shook my head at her and smiled.

"It's alright, just been a while since I've thought about it." She nodded and rubbed my shoulder a little. She looked around my room for a little, and then perked up.

"I see purple!" she yelled, darting across the room towards my closet. She pulled out a large purple scarf and beamed at it. She turned to me and grinned. I laughed a little and walked to her. She wrapped it tightly around my waist, outlining it well, and tied it in a bow in the back. The ends of the bow flowed down my back nicely. She searched around my room again until finding something she liked. She walked over to my dresser and picked up a necklace that was laying there. It was a long pendant that had a black diamond butterfly on the end. She walked over and put it on me and then stood back to marvel at her work.

"You'll have the boys lining up when they see you!" she exclaimed gleefully. I smiled at her and gave her a huge hug.

"Thank you so much Rangiku," I said happily. "Now, let's go home." We left my house and started walking back to where we came from. But then Rangiku stopped. I turned to look at her, and she looked worried.

"What is it?" I asked anxiously.

"Hollow." I gazed at her in confusion. But then I remembered Byakuya telling me something about them. I don't remember what they were but I do remember him telling me to kill them. I looked around and didn't see anything. But suddenly, I felt a weird pressure hit me, and by the look on Rangiku's face she felt it too. And then, the hollow materialized. It was big, like, huge. It had large legs and even larger arms, and it walked along on its knuckles. It had on a large white mask, which Byakuya explained is how they all look, one way or another, and its teeth looked as though it could easily crunch through anything. Rangiku drew her Zanpakuto and ran at it. I watched as she swiftly ran towards it. But, the hollow had anticipated her attack. It lifted its gargantuan fist and punched her away, slamming her into a rooftop. I gazed in horror at this monster, but I knew what I had to do. I unsheathed my Zanpakuto and stared at it. It just looked like a normal sword, not like it did before.

_"Call my name,"_ I heard echo through my head.

"Tsubasa-Mai!" I yelled. My sword glowed, then changed into the sword I saw earlier. But this time, there was a sparkling lavender ribbon tied to the hilt.

_"I thought I'd accessorize a little, too!"_ I giggled, but then re-focused my attention back to the hollow. This was the first time I ever even saw one of these things, let alone killed one. But I couldn't let Rangiku down. And I was a captain for gods sake, I should be able to do this. I grabbed the hilt of my Zanpakuto tightly and ran at the hollow. It swung at me but I jumped up just in time to dodge his massive fist. I bounded off a nearby roof and hovered over the hollow's huge face. It opened its mouth and let out an ear shattering shriek, but I couldn't let it phase me. I took my sword and slammed it straight into its forehead. It screamed again, but then deteriorated into nothing. I landed softly on the ground and wiped the sweat off my forehead. Rangiku was already standing next to me, brushing the dirt off of her pant leg.

"You okay?" I asked frantically.

"Yeah...only bruised my ego a little." I smiled at her then gestured towards the doors.

"Wow...you sure look...different," Hisagi said, blushing. When Rangiku and I got home, she and I met up with some people at a nearby sake bar. I was wedged in between Hisagi and Ichigo, and across from me was Rangiku, Renji and Rukia.

"Yeah, you look amazing!" Rangiku yelled. "If I do say so myself." I laughed at her and took a small sip of sake. It burned my throat as it slipped down into my stomach. I hated the taste of alcohol, but by the looks of it, Rangiku was having a blast. Hisagi and Renji were downing it too, but definitely not as much as she was. Everyone else was taking little sips just like I was. By the end of the night, Rangiku was barely able to walk she was so drunk. Ichigo and Rukia offered to take her back to her squad before returning back home. Renji was a little tipsy but was able to get back home alone. Hisagi was pretty tipsy too, but we were already walking together anyway. The walk back to the barracks was peaceful, he wasn't a loud drunk like Rangiku seemed to be. As we were walking back, he started to wobble a little, so I grabbed his arm and slung it around my shoulders. I grabbed his back and helped him walk back to our base. I caught a glimpse of his face out of the corner of my eye, and it was obvious he was blushing again. I laughed to myself and kept on walking until finally we made it back to the base.

"Here we are. Home sweet home," I said, opening the door. He was able to walk better now, in the brightly lit barracks, so I let go of his back. But he kept his arm around my shoulders.

"C'mere, come to my room for a sec," he whispered, slurring his words slightly but not too much. I laughed and decided to humor him. I walked with him to his room, and he shut the door behind us. He didn't turn on the lights, he just stared at me in the darkness.

"Maichou..." he said, staring me straight in the eye. He had a look so intense, it made my heart skip a beat.

"Captain...you're so beautiful..." He leaned in, as though he was going to kiss me. But then, his eyes shut and he collapsed to the ground. He was passed out from all the sake. I let out a breath and dragged him over to his bed. I pulled the covers over him and kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, lieutenant," I whispered. I slipped out of his room and ran to my room. I quickly shut the door and sighed. I wasn't sure what was going on. He was probably just really drunk and didn't know what he was saying. But the weird thing was...I think I actually may have wanted to kiss him.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning to a silent barracks. It seemed as though everyone was asleep, or hard at work. I groggily got up and dressed myself. I slid the door open and walked outside my room. I looked around but didn't see anyone. I slipped towards the back of the base, and out the door into the large rock garden outside. I saw a familiar spiky head sitting on the ground, drinking tea from a small porcelain cup. I quietly walked towards him, not wanting to disturb him in such a peaceful setting. But he turned around anyway. I blushed at the sight of his defined facial features, and what he had said the night before was ringing through my head.

_"Captain...you're so beautiful..." _It sounded amazing, even repeated again the next morning. He smiled at me and beckoned me over. I hesitated, but went over anyway.

"Good morning Captain," he greeted, setting his tea down for a second. "Can I pour you a cup of tea?" I nodded, keeping silent. He gave me an unknowing look, clearly not understanding why I was so quiet. He gingerly picked up a cup and gently poured tea into it.

"Do you...remember anything from last night?" I asked abruptly, breaking the silence. He stopped pouring, his eyes widening slightly.

"...no. Should I?" he asked anxiously. I stared at him, unsure of whether I should remind him of what he said, and almost did, last night. I stared into his dark eyes, and decided just to tell him.

"Um...well. Last night, after we walked home from the bar, you brought me into your room and-"

"WHAT?" he yelled, almost dropping the teapot on the rocks. I quickly clasped my hand over his mouth and shushed him.

"Quiet! You'll wake everyone!" I said in a hushed tone. I looked away from him before explaining. "Its not what you think! You just...well you said I was beautiful and you...um...you almost kissed me. But, you didn't! You passed out before anything happened." I looked back at him and saw that his face was bright red. He set the teapot down and nervously clasped his hands together. He started to say something, but quickly shut his mouth again. I knew I had to break the tension.

"But, everything is okay! I know you only said that because you were drunk, so, no worries!" I exclaimed awkwardly. Even though that's what a said, a part of me didn't want that to be true. I secretly kind of wanted him to have said it for real, and for him to have wanted to kiss me. But he's my lieutenant, and I knew that could never happen. He stared at me intensely, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He inched closer to me, our faces close to touching.

"H-Hisagi?" I whispered.

"Maichou...you _are_ beautiful. I meant it when I said that..." he said softly. There was such tenderness in his eyes now. Then, he leaned in and gently put his lips down on top of mine. Shivers ran through my body as he pressed down harder. I put my hands behind his head and laced my fingers through his dark hair. He placed his hands around my waist and massaged the small of my back with his muscular hands. He softly bit my lower lip, causing my mouth to open wider. He moved and kissed down my jawline and on my neck. He nibbled a little on my earlobe, and then moved to whisper in my ear.

"You really are...so beautiful, Maichou..." he whispered sensually in my ear. I shuddered with anticipation, not knowing what he was planning next. He pulled away from my ear and stared deep into my eyes. His face was emotionless, despite the growing passion of the atmosphere. A small smile emerged on his lips, like he knew something I didn't, which he did. He tightened his grip on my waist and pulled me down on top of him. I yelped but was quickly silenced by his lips crashing down onto mine again.

"Hisagi..." I managed to say between kisses. "What if...someone were to...see us?" He stopped and stared at me. He blinked a few times, then the intensity dropped from his face. He helped me up and sat next to me, his head in his hands.

"I'm so sorry captain...I've acted very unprofessionally..." His voice was muffled into his hands. I rubbed his back softly. I leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"It's okay Hisagi...I enjoyed it." I could see his ears perk up a little. He lifted his head and looked at me.

"Really?" I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him tenderly.

"Of course I did. I just...I'm not sure if it's such a good idea for us to kiss in such a public area. I'm still new here, and I don't want to get a bad reputation," I explained quietly, stroking his cheek. He smiled at me, and kissed me again.

"I understand. If you ever feel like doing it again, you know where to find me." He gave me one final, passionate kiss, then stood up and left. I watched as he left and then turned back to the cups of tea that were left on the table. I felt like I had just broken up with someone, but we were never dating. There was a part of me that wanted to chase after him, tell him that everything was okay. But I knew I shouldn't. It wouldn't look good for the newest captain to look so unprofessional. I just couldn't let my passions take over, I had to be professional. That was what I had to keep telling myself when I thought about him. It's not like I loved him or anything, I just met him. But...this world was just so new, it was nice to feel wanted here. I fell back onto the soft rocks in the garden and stared up at the clouds. I watched them peacefully pass by and wondered if they looked the same in the human world. I closed my eyes and let the warm sun beat down on my face.

"See, Jushiro? I'm not the only one who relaxes like this..." I heard a voice say. I opened my eyes and saw two unfamiliar men in captains robes. I immediately shot up and composed myself. They chuckled and walked towards me.

"Don't worry, calm yourself." I nodded, but stood up anyway.

"Hello, my name is Maichou Harumi, new captain of squad 9," I introduced, looking at both of them. One of them was wearing a long pink cherry blossom robe on top of his captains robe, and he looked very calm and laid back. The other one had long white hair, and looked sort of sickly.

"Well hello there Maichou, my name is Jushiro Ukitake, captain of squad 13," he said, before breaking out into a coughing fit.

"And I'm Shunsui Kyoraku, captain of squad 8," he said, tipping his hat at me. "Pleasure to meet you." I smiled at them.

"So...what can I do for you?" I moved from one face to the other, trying to read them. They were just standing there, blankly smiling at me.

"Well, we were sent to get you. There's a captains meeting now," Jushiro explained. I remember Byakuya explaining what captains meetings were, though the title is pretty self explanatory, so I knew that it was imperative that I be there. I nodded and followed them out of the barracks and towards the base of squad 1.

"...and that is what has been going on recently within the seireitei," head captain Yamamoto finished explaining in his deep, raspy voice. Everyone nodded in understanding and head captain Yamamoto slammed his staff on the ground, signaling us to be dismissed. He left, and the rest of the captains lingered and chatted with one another. I didn't recognize most of them, the only ones I did recognize were Toshiro, Byakuya, Jushiro, and Shunsui. There was a large man with the head of a fox, a small woman with a bitter face, an older woman with long dark hair, a large menacing looking man with many scars, and a man who looked somewhat like a robot. I suddenly felt very out of place. As if sensing my discomfort, Byakuya was beside me with his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't be intimidated, everything is okay," he whispered in my ear. Electricity shot down my spine as his hot breath touched my neck. I turned to look at him; he was wearing a soft expression on his face.

"Well, you're being uncharacteristically nice to this one Byakuya," the large one with the scars commented as he approached us. I felt as though I should back away from the advancing giant, but I chose to stand my ground. I gave Byakuya a sideways glance, and he returned it with a face that said _don't worry, he won't hurt you._ I stared up at the man, examining every detail. He had spiked hair, with bells on the ends, and he was wearing an eye patch. He had a menacing grin, large bulging muscles, and a hefty amount of scars, and yet the closer he got the less afraid I became. A surprising wave of confidence washed over me and I stood up straight and faced the man head on.

"Hello, I'm Captain Maichou Harumi, of squad 9," I introduced, thrusting my hand out at him. He cocked his head at me, and stared down at my hand, then back at me. He let out a large bellowing laugh and I stared at him in confusion.

"You've got balls kid," he exclaimed after he finished laughing. I was a little taken aback by his sudden forwardness, and slightly crass tone. And yet, it made him much less intimidating, he seemed a lot like a high school kid. I just laughed a little and smiled at him.

"The name's Kenpachi Zaraki, captain of squad 11." By then, many of the other captains I hadn't recognized were alongside Kenpachi. The woman with the long hair stepped up and bowed to me.

"Hello, my name is Retsu Unohana, captain of squad 4, the medical unit. Stop by any time." The man with the fox head stepped towards me, casting a large shadow over me.

"I am Sajin Komamura, captain of squad 7." I smiled at him, and resisted the urge to reach up and pet him. The small woman stepped up now. Her face was still bitter, but slightly less than before.

"Soi-fon, captain of squad 2." Her introduction was short and concise, the type of person she seemed to be. I looked around, but the other captain I didn't know what nowhere to be found.

"The other captain who was here, his name is Mayuri Kurotsuchi, captain of squad 12 and head of the research and development department," Byakuya explained, as though he read my mind. "We should get home, it's late." I turned to look at him and then nodded.

"It was so nice meeting all of you," I said with a large, friendly smile. Byakuya bowed to them all then led me out the doors. I turned to look back at the chattering captains then followed Byakuya out the door.

"Everyone is really nice," I commented once we were out of the room.

"They're okay, they all get irritating after a while though." I turned to stare at him. I guess that was what Kenpachi meant when he said that Byakuya was being 'uncharacteristically nice'. We continued the rest of the walk in silence. I wasn't sure what to say to him, and he didn't seem like too much of a chatterbox anyway, so I just kept quiet.

"Well, thank you for walking me home," I murmured when we got to the entrance to my base. He nodded, and cracked a small smile, but maintained his hard exterior. I stared at him for a second, then gave in to my emotions and hugged him. He was startled at first, but then hugged me back. I pulled away, and scurried into my base, taking one quick look at him before slinking into the darkness. While I stood there in the safety of my base, I felt my heart beating harder and faster, and I could almost still feel his arms around me.

"Captain?" The voice from within the darkness made me jump. "Is everything okay?" I turned to look at my lieutenant. I couldn't see him well, but he lit a candle he had been holding. It glowed in his hands, shedding a light orange light upon his shirtless torso. I could feel my face heating up as I stared at his defined muscles.

"Y-yeah...everything is okay, Hisagi," I reassured quietly. "Go back to bed."

"Oh, well, I never went to bed. I was...um, waiting for you," he mumbled. I gazed at him in surprise, then softened my gaze. I walked over to him and gave him a small kiss.

"Goodnight, Hisagi," I breathed into his lips. I stepped away from him, running my hand down his chest as I ventured off into the dark to find my room.

"Let me at least help you find your room." I was reluctant to say yes, knowing that when he made it to my room I may not have the strength to tell him to leave, but I said yes anyway. He led me by the light of the candle until I reached my room. I slid the door open and stepped inside. I could tell that he wanted to accompany me, but he respectfully stood outside my door.

"Thank you, kind sir," I joked, leaning against the door with my palms. He smirked at me and looked around. He leaned in and kissed me again, deeper this time than before. I wanted him, I knew I did. But at the same time, I knew I couldn't have him. Maybe that made me want him more. There was a lot going through my head, too much. I couldn't have him tonight. I pulled away from the kiss and gazed into his eyes. I kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight Hisagi." He understood by my tone that it was final this time. He bowed to me and made his way back to his quarters. I watched him walk away, then slid my door closed. I sighed to myself and walked to the back of my room to de-robe. I pulled off my captains robe, untied my belt, and stripped down to nothing but my short black under dress and my necklace.

"Well that's quite a sight..." I heard from within the darkness. Like a gazelle in the midst of hunting lions, I immediately felt in danger. My first instinct was not to cover up, but to attack. I ran to grab my zanpakuto, but a strong and forceful hand stopped me.

"Nuh-uh, you're coming with us..." Another voice said.

"Who...who are you people?" I demanded. I tried to seem strong, but I was terrified. One of them chuckled, so I could tell that my facade was just that, a facade.

"We're Espada, now shut up, we're leaving..." I didn't know what to do. I feared that if I screamed they'd kill me, or worse, my squad. I couldn't reach Tsubasa-Mai, and I had no idea how strong these guys were so I had no intention of trying to fight them hand to hand. So I did something I never thought I'd have to resort to. I bit my finger as hard as I could and quickly wrote the word "Espada" down on the floor in blood. I figured someone would find it sooner or later. Just to see what kind of situation I was really in, I tried to struggle out of this man's tight grip, but he just grabbed me harder. I couldn't see anything, there was no light whatsoever within my room, so I couldn't even see who was apprehending me.

"Stop playing around with her, let's go..."

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist..." The man holding my arm grabbed my other arm and picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder. I thrashed around and I could practically feel his annoyance. The other one walked over to me and hit a pressure point on my neck. Then...everything went dark.


	5. Chapter 5

_"...we're Espada, now shut up, we're leaving..."_

_"...stop playing around with her, let's go_..."

The words rang through my head as I slowly opened my eyes. I wished I could believe that last night was just a dream, but as my eyes scanned the room around me, I realized it was a nightmare. I was lying on a cold damp floor in nothing but my under dress. The room was small, with dark walls and a large metal door. There were no windows, the only light flooded in from a tiny barred opening at the top of the door. I went to grab for Tsubasa-Mai, but then remembered that I had to leave it in my room when those two men grabbed me. I gritted my teeth together in frustration and hugged my knees to my chest. I remembered writing the word _"Espada"_ down on the floor in blood, so hopefully I can count on Hisagi to get help. A large clanking noise interrupted my thoughts. My gaze shot over towards the door and I straightened myself up, tucking my knees over to my left. I stared eagerly at the door as it slowly creaked open. A man was standing there, with pale white skin, dark hair, and the brightest green eyes I had ever seen.

"Come with me," he ordered in a monotonous voice. A very...familiar, monotonous voice.

"...you!" I screamed, running up to face him. "You're one of the men who kidnapped me last night!" His face remained emotionless and un-phased.

"Yes." I growled under my breath.

"Why am I here?" I shouted. He grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me close to him.

"Let's go." I attempted to struggle, but his brute strength was immense. I finally submitted and allowed him to take me away. We walked down a few long and narrow hallways. They all looked the same, like a hospital room, everything was white. We turned onto another long corridor that seemed to be leading to a bigger area. I stared down at my wrist, which the man with the green eyes was still gripping onto tightly.

"You don't have to hold onto me anymore, y'know. I can walk by myself," I commented staring at him.

"I don't trust you."

"Well...I don't trust you either," I returned, a little less mature than I wanted to sound. His grip tightened and pace quickened, but he said nothing back. Finally we reached a large room at the end of the hallway. There were people lined up on either wall, and at the front of the room there was a man sitting on a throne type chair, flanked by two other men. I didn't recognize anyone, and a wave of fear washed over me. The green eyed man dragged me towards the man sitting in the throne and threw me down to the ground. I landed on my knees in front of the man, and when I looked up at him he was smiling. He stood up from his chair and walked towards me. I tried to stand up but was then pushed back down by the green eyed man. The man approaching me had dark brown hair, and mysterious brown eyes. He knelt down beside me and lifted my chin with his thumb and index finger. I stared into his eyes and he smirked at me.

"Well hello there, Maichou," he greeted, his voice dark and sweet. "My name is Sosuke Aizen." My eyes widened. He was the captain who had betrayed the soul society, and left with two other captains, one being the previous captain of squad 9. I looked past him to the two men who had been beside him. I stared at the one on the left. He was blind, making it easy to identify him as the captain who abandoned squad 9. The one on the right had a large grin plastered on his face, and sleek silver hair. I didn't recognize him, however. I returned my gaze back to Aizen and narrowed my eyes. He smiled wider.

"So...you know who I am then." I turned my head away from him. Still holding my chin, he turned my head back to face him.

"Why am I here?" I growled quietly. He smiled and stood up, bringing me up with him.

"You're too powerful to be against me my dear," he explained, his eyes burning into mine. "I needed to give you some time, so wait for the grief of the fire, the hatred, to set in. And now that you're a sweet little captain, now was the perfect time to get you to join me." My heart dropped. It felt as though the wind had been knocked out of me and my knees gave out on me. Aizen just stood and watched as I fell to the ground.

"...you know about...the...fire...?" was all I managed to croak out. He stared at me then let out a dark chuckle.

"Know about the fire? You silly girl, I _caused_ that fire." My head shot up and I glowered at him, eyes wide and filled with tears. I lurched up at him but was immediately apprehended by two of the men who had been standing on the sidelines.

"You!" I shrieked. I attempted to struggle out of the tight grips if the men holding me, but to no avail.

"Me," he mocked. "I'm going to save you some time and just tell you everything you want to know. When you were younger, we discovered you in the human world. We watched you for quite some time, figuring you out, trying to see if you'd join us at an older age. But it was clear that you had a pure soul, that you would have no intention of joining us. So, our only option was to make sure that your heart would never be pure again. So we came to your house and poisoned your parents, only enough to make them unconscious. Then we set fire to your house, killing your parents and possibly you. Whether you died or not was unimportant. We had all assumed that you were dead, because your spiritual pressure had gone away. But when we discovered that you were alive, that you somehow survived that fire, I decided it was time to get you to join me." I gazed it him in surprise, and sheer terror.

"...who saved me from that fire?" I spat, jerking forward a little only to be pulled back again. He rolled his eyes.

"I don't know. Some soul reaper, most likely." I shook my head furiously.

"...I'll never join you," I hissed. "You sick bastard." He grinned wider.

"You flatter me." He looked to the men holding me. "Take her away, she'll learn soon that she has no other choice but to join us."

"To the cell?" the green eyed man inquired. Aizen thought for a second.

"No, bring her to the C wing," he ordered. The green eyed man bowed and pulled me away. I turned my head, tears streaming down my face, forcefully being dragged away, to glare at the man who killed my parents.

We stopped in front of two large white double doors. Still grasping my arm in one hand, he swung the door open with the other. The room was all white, just like the corridors and nothing like the cell I was being held in before. There was a large white bed with a chiffon canopy, a large white dresser and a silver framed mirror, and a large window overlooking...wherever we were.

"You'll find everything you need in here, including a robe," the green eyed man stated. "Make yourself more presentable to Master Aizen." I narrowed my eyes at him then shrugged.

"What, you don't like what I'm wearing now?" He scanned my body up and down then quickly turned around.

"Go." I didn't budge. He shot me a cold sideways glance. "Now." I gritted my teeth together then stomped into the room. He slammed the heavy door shut and I could hear the lock click. I jiggled the handle on the door, just to make sure, and just like I thought it was locked. I walked towards the dresser and sat down on the small stool. I stared at myself in the mirror, face streaked with tears, eyes red and puffy. I wiped my face with the backs of my hands and took a deep breath. I examined the dresser and decided to search through the drawers. One drawer held a small silver brush. Another held a long white robe. I gingerly picked up the robe and held it up to my body. It was white and silk, almost sheer. I put it on and the sleeves billowed out, the bottom of the robe dragging across the cool tile floor. I picked up the brush and began running it through my long brown hair. Three loud pounds on my door made me put the brush down on the dresser.

"I'm coming in!" yelled a gruff voice from behind the door. I stood up and watched as the door swung open. A tall, muscular man with blue hair was standing in the doorway. His eyes were a a piercing aqua blue, just like his hair, and he was scowling at me. His chest was exposed, showing off his nicely defined muscles. He took a few steps towards me and stared me up and down.

"I liked what you were wearing last night better," he commented, sneering. I glowered at him, realizing that's why his voice sounded familiar.

"What do you want?"

"Now now, don't be nasty. Otherwise, you don't get this." He pulled out Tsubasa-Mai from behind his back and dangled it in front of me. I went to grab it but he yanked it away from me with a smirk.

"You have to be a good girl if you want it back." I scowled at him.

"I'm not your dog." He chuckled and dangled my zanpakuto over my head again. I sighed in defeat. "Fine, what do you want?"

"I just want to know you," he laughed. I gave him a look and he shrugged at me. I shook my head in disbelief but decided not to fight with him about it. It was a simple enough request.

"Alright. My name is Maichou Harumi," I introduced. "And you?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Ooh, a little extra something, huh? My name is Grimmjow Jaggerjaquez."

"Nice to meet you," I said through my teeth, growing impatient. He smirked and lowered my zanpakuto to within reach. I reached for it slowly, then quickly grabbed hold of it. But he still didn't let go. He yanked on the sword and pulled me close, so that my face was almost buried in his chest. I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes.

"Now, be a good little kitten and you'll never have to use this," he warned. I forced myself to smile, then pulled my zanpakuto out of his large hand and stalked away. I turned over my shoulder and watched as he turned around and walked out the door.

"I can feel your eyes burning a hole in my back," he yelled without taking a look back at me. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." He slammed the door shut and locked it, making me a hostage once again. I stroked the hilt of the zanpakuto I had missed so much. I gently sat down on the bed and laid Tsubasa-Mai down next to me.

"Grimmjow Jaggerjaquez..." I thought aloud. I shook his face out of my mind and walked over to the window. I sat down on the windowsill and gazed at the world around me. There was nothing but barren hills of clean sand. The moon was a glowing crescent that shined its light down upon my room. The stars shined alongside it and for a second, I didn't feel like a prisoner.


	6. Chapter 6

When I woke up in the morning, I found that I had slept surprisingly well. I was in a pretty good mood, until I looked around my chamber and frowned. I had almost forgotten that I was being held against my will. I sat up in my bed. With the covers still draped over my legs, I gazed out the window. I sighed sadly, wondering if Hisagi had found my message yet…

_Meanwhile, back at the Soul Society_

Hisagi woke up, eager to go visit his captain. He climbed out of his bed and sauntered over to her room. As usual, no one else was up yet. He realized that the two of them were the only two who woke up this early, which he enjoyed. He knocked softly at her door.

"Captain?" he whispered. No answer. He tried again.

"Maichou?" he said, a little louder this time. Still nothing. He edged her door open slightly, and saw that her room was a bit more disheveled than he'd expected from her. But there was one thing missing from her room: her. He stepped into her room and scanned it, to see if she was hiding away, or something. He didn't want to expect the worst. Something dark caught his eye as he was searching the room for his missing captain. He kneeled down at the sight and gasped sharply, taking in the sight. The word "_Espada" _was written on the floor of her room, in blood that was most likely hers. Hisagi lost his breath a quick second, hastily putting the pieces together. He threw the door open and sprinted towards the squad 1 barracks. He burst into the head captain's hall, and dropped to his knees in front of him, panting.

"Shuuhei Hisagi. What is it you require from me?" the old man questioned, not budging from his large chair.

"Captain…Maichou…has been…kidnapped by…_Espada_..." he managed to gasp out, angrily spitting the word Espada from his mouth. The head captains eyes widened.

"Ring the bell!" the old man ordered his lieutenant to do. "We must have an emergency captains meeting at once!" His second in command nodded and rang the large bell. An immense sound filled the air. All around the soul society, captains were stopping dead in their tracks. The bell hadn't been rung since Aizen and his cohorts caused panic throughout the soul society. Within minutes, every captain besides Maichou was lined up, eagerly awaiting their head captains report. Byakuya stood in his place, stoic as usual. But still, he couldn't help but notice that Maichou was nowhere to be found. He chuckled in his head, thinking that Maichou probably just didn't know what the bell meant. But he froze when he spotted Hisagi kneeling beside the head captain with his head down. Byakuya started to sweat. He knew how serious the bell was, and not seeing Maichou made him very nervous.

"Attention captains!" Yamamoto announced in his deep, gruff voice. "Captain Maichou Harumi has been taken away by the Espada." Byakuya, and many of the other captains, felt their hearts drop to their feet.

"No…" Byakuya whispered.

"So when's the search and rescue squad going to get her?" captain Kyoraku asked. The head captain sighed deeply.

"It will not be deployed."

"What?" many of the captains yelled in unison. Yamamoto slammed his cane down against the floor.

"Silence!" he yelled. The captains composed themselves, at his command. "We cannot risk losing any more captains, or any others that are of rank. We just have to hope that Captain of squad 9 Maichou Harumi will be able to escape and return back to the Soul Society." No one said a word.

"You are dismissed!" he ordered, slamming his cane against the floor once again. The captains nodded and dispersed. Byakuya and many of the other captains reconvened outside the squad 1 barracks.

"What the _hell_ is the old man thinking?" captain Kenpachi yelled, shaking his head. "She's just a young woman. She's a new captain, she has practically no experience," captain Ukitake expressed. The others nodded in agreement. The door to the squad 1 barracks opened again, and Maichou's lieutenant slowly walked out. His eyes were bloodshot and his breath was ragged. He staggered over to the captains and almost collapsed. Captain Komamura caught him just before he fell to the ground. Hisagi looked up at the large man with a grateful nod. He steadied himself and stood up.

"Please excuse me," he whispered his voice weak and tired. He walked unsteadily towards his barracks, and the captains all watched him as he left.

"That poor boy…he's lost two captains to Aizen," captain Unohana said sadly. They all stared after him as he staggered away, watching him pass the corner. And mere seconds later, a flash of orange and red came bursting past that same corner towards the crowd of captains. Once the flash came closer, the captains saw that it was actually two men. Byakuya's second in command, Renji Abarai, and the substitute soul reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki. They stopped short in front of the captains, panting.

"What…what's going on?" Renji asked, breathing heavily. "We heard the bell ring, what's going on?" Byakuya growled under his breath.

"You nosy little…this is captain's business," he said angrily. The other captains turned to look at him. Byakuya was almost never the first to speak up, and when he did he was always composed. Renji stared at his captain in disbelief. Ichigo stood up and scanned the area around.

"W-where's Mai?" he asked, addressing the captain informally as usual. The captains looked away. Ichigo and Renji exchanged a glance then stared back at the captains.

"What?" they said together.

"She was taken…by the Espada," Kyoraku explained sorrowfully. Ichigo's stomach churned, and Renji's curious smile dropped.

"…taken?" Ichigo whispered. They nodded.

"Well come on! We have to get her back!" Renji yelled, stepping forward towards the captains. Captain Ukitake put his hand up in front of Renji, trying to calm him down.

"Easy, easy," he soothed. "We're all just as worried as you are."

"So, when are we leaving? When are we going to go get her?" Renji asked, quieter this time, but still just as eager. Byakuya clenched his jaw; the rest of them looked away again. Ichigo was silent. Renji turned towards his orange haired companion. Ichigo's eyes were blank. His mind just wasn't processing.

"…we're not." Byakuya said through his teeth, clearly furious about the situation. Renji turned, wide eyed, to gape at his captain. He bounded over to stand mere inches from his fuming captain's face.

"What do you mean, 'we're not'?" he shrieked. This set Byakuya over the edge. He raised his hand and slapped his lieutenant in the face. The other captains gasped. None of them had ever seen Byakuya act out this way.

"Enough! It has been ordered by the head captain that we are _not_ to go after Maichou. No matter how much we all want to, we _can't!_" he yelled. Renji held his throbbing face and stared at his captain in awe. Byakuya shook his head at the red haired soul reaper and brushed past him, going back to his barracks. Captain Ukitake bent down to help Renji up, but he pushed his hand away, staggering up on his own.

"Tch. Never seen Captain Kuchiki act that way…" Renji rubbed his face and spit a small amount of blood of into a nearby bush. "Damn…he really smacked me hard, too." Renji turned his attention to Ichigo, who was still just standing there. His eyes were vacant and his body was frozen.

"Ichigo?" Renji called, trying to break him from his trance. Ichigo looked up at him.

"She's…gone…?" he whispered.

"Yeah…she's gone."


	7. Chapter 7

_Back in the Hueco Mundo_

I sat on the windowsill of my stark white prison cell, staring off into the baron hills of what my captors called "Hueco Mundo". This place was the polar opposite of the Soul Society; in the Soul Society, someone was _always _talking, something was _always _going on. But here…here there was nothing but silence. Silence in an all white room, it was starting to creep me out. I got up off the windowsill, the cool tile underneath my feet shooting shivers up my spine. I pulled the white silk robe across my body and tip-toed over to the large door. I reached for the handle but then remembered that they left it locked. Just for kicks, I tried it anyway. Still locked.

"Uch," I muttered under my breath. I shuffled back over to my bed and climbed on. Sitting on top of the fluffy covers, I laid my head down on the large pillows. For a prison bed, it was actually nicer than my bed back in the Soul Society. Fine, there was one good thing about this place. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of my own breathing. I felt my body melt into the sweet comfortable bed, and my mind finally calmed itself. That is, until there was a huge loud bang at my door.

"I'm coming in, hope for your sake you're dressed." The door unlocked and swung open, and I opened my eyes to glare at the snarky blue haired boy.

"Grimmjow, go away. I'm relaxing," I snarled, shutting my eyes again. His bare feet thumped against the floor as he walked towards me. I felt his shadow looming over me and opened an eye to look at him.

"I don't care if you're relaxing, it's time for you to eat," he said bitterly. I could tell how much he hated being the messenger. I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, making room for him to sit down. He just stared at me, unmoving. I raised my eyebrows at him and patted the bed in front of me. He gave me a look and clenched his jaw, stubbornly refusing to move. I just sat in my place and continued to raise my eyebrows at him, trying to will him to sit down. Finally, with a loud overdramatic sigh, he sat down next to me. I smirked at him as he gave in. He stared at me with annoyed anticipation, waiting for me to say something meaningful.

"So…how ya doing?" He groaned and dropped his head, his elbows propped up on his knees. I pulled my legs closer to my body and rested my head on my knees. He gave me a sideways glance and scoffed.

"Seriously? First Aizen makes _me_ the messenger, now I'm sitting here with our prisoner who's kind of a ditz. Great…" he complained, lightly shoving my knee. I smiled and pushed him back. He stared at me incredulously; his eyes asking me if I really just did that. I narrowed my eyes at him playfully and he smirked and lunged for me. We wrestled jokingly on the bed, rolling around, each trying to overpower the other. He pushed himself on top of me, pinning my hands to the bed. He was straddling me, his strong body pressing me down into the bed. Our faces were inches away from each other, his soft blue hair tickling my face. I gazed into his sparkling turquoise eyes and grinned.

"You didn't seem like the playful type, _Grimmy_," I teased, biting my lip a little. He blushed and averted his eyes, embarrassed.

"I'm not…"

"Liar." His eyes shot back to mine. They were almost staring into my soul; they were such a piercing color. Suddenly, his lips crashed down onto mine. It was hard, rough at first. But then it softened, and deepened into one of the most passionate kisses I had ever experienced. His hands tightened around my wrists as his lips melted into mine. He licked my bottom lip and slipped his tongue into my open and willing mouth. He explored my mouth, running his tongue along the sides of my mouth and down my tongue. Easing up a little on my wrists, but still keeping me pinned, he trailed kisses down my jaw and down to the side of my neck. He kissed it lightly, and flicked the tip of his tongue against it, making me shudder. Then he softly, but still powerfully, bit my neck, causing an audible gasp to escape from my lips. I could feel him smile into my skin, proud that he made me moan.

"Grimmjow…" I breathed, my eyelids fluttering as he licked my neck again.

"Yes?" he answered into my neck.

"Kiss me." Shocked at my sudden forwardness and not thinking about the fact that I was giving him orders, he obeyed. He reached up and kissed me softly, varying the pressure as the kiss progressed. He released my from his grasp, as though to say he trusted that I wouldn't try to escape, and cupped my face in his hands, deepening the kiss even further. Then, when we were in the middle of a sweet and passionate moment, there was a snickering at the door. We pulled away from each other, but were too stunned to move out of our position. Grimmjow growled underneath his breath when he saw who had been watching us. The silver haired man just smirked, eyes closed, and upon seeing Grimmjow's angered expression, smiled wider.

"Well, this is interesting…" he murmured into his sleeve before slinking off, his dark sniggering echoing in the hallway after him. Even though the voyeur was gone, Grimmjow still got off of me and stood next to my bed, his back turned to me.

"…Grimmy?" I said quietly. He turned over his shoulder with a pained expression and ran out the door. I stared after him and sighed sadly. His piercing blue eyes flashed through my mind and made my lips tingle. I touched my lips softly and smiled. Fine…there were _two _good things about this place. I took a second to process what had just happened, when I realized that in his, slightly unnecessary, haste, Grimmjow had forgotten to shut and lock the door. I hopped off the large bed and shuffled out of the room for the first time unattended. My long white chiffon robe followed closely after me, trailing silently. I stalked the silent halls alone, trying to find signs of life around the deserted castle. I hung close to the wall, preparing myself to throw myself against the wall at any time if necessary. I tiptoed, hallway after hallway. There were countless doors along the walls of the tight corridors, but they were all closed. I couldn't just go around opening doors; I'd get myself killed that way. .If I had Tsubasa-Mai I would be able to fend for myself, no problem. But for some reason, I didn't bring her with me. I think I just wasn't intending on escaping right now. I was exploring.

"What are you doing out of your cell?"

"Exploring!" I yelled my response instantly, and as my body tensed up, I realized how stupid I sounded. I clenched my jaw; angry at myself for sounding like an idiot in front of…whoever it was who caught me out here. I slowly turned around to face my captor and cocked my head at him. His steely gray eyes stared at me, sleepily half closed, and as he lazily stretched his neck, his brown hair swished around his shoulders.

"Alright. Just making sure you weren't doing something stupid like trying to escape, or whatever it is prisoners do." His voice was calm and apathetic, but still had a hint of sadness to it.

"Um…who are you?" I questioned, staring up and down his tall body.

"Coyote Starrk." He started to walk past me, not having a care in the world. He stopped next to me and put his hand on my head. He bent his lips down to my ear and spoke in a low voice so only I could hear.

"Be careful, don't get into trouble." He stood up straight, smoothed my hair down like he had known me forever, and walked off into the never-ending white hallway. I stared off in the opposite direction, confused. And yet, somehow, I felt so much safer.

After wandering around the labyrinth these people were keeping me in, I finally came up to double doors that were slightly ajar. I peered inside and saw a large white table, and no one around. I slipped inside and looked around. There was a stove, a long counter, a few sinks and some other various appliances; all white. There was a large refrigerator on the back wall, still white. God, these people needed a home makeover and pronto. Suddenly, a bell on one of the appliances rang and a door in the back of the room swung wide open. My heart skipped a beat, expecting for it to be Aizen, just for a second. But when I saw the familiar bright blue hair that I'd seen way too much of today, my chest loosened and I relaxed a little. His eyes widened and then narrowed, and his brow furrowed.

"How did you get out here?" he asked through his teeth.

"Well. In your, completely rude, _escape_ from my room when the creep caught us together, you forgot to bolt the door down. So I left. I wanted to explore," I explained as nonchalantly as I could, trying not to show him how I was kind of hurt by him leaving. He sneered at me, but then his gaze softened and he could no longer look me in the eye. He looked at the floor in embarrassment.

"Did anyone else see you?" His voice was lower now.

"Yeah, he said his name was Starrk?" His gaze immediately shot back up to meet my eyes.

"Starrk?" he repeated. "Did he do anything to you?" I gave him a puzzled look. Starrk seemed like the most non-violent, lazy guy, and then what he said to me…why would Grimmjow think he did something to me?

"No…why?" He let out a breath.

"No reason. Just stay away from him, alright? He's a really powerful guy," he expressed. The smell of meat wafted through the room, reminding him of his cooking. He ran over to the microwave as I pondered what he said. So what if Starrk was strong? He seemed like a good guy, and he told me to be careful. I just don't think he would hurt me.

"I was _going_ to bring this to your room for you, but then you—"He froze. Confused, I was about to ask him what was going on, but he shot me a glare that _screamed_ "shut up", so I did. There were voices; they were muffled, but I could still make out the venomous voice that was approaching the kitchen. I couldn't be seen out of my room, especially not by _him_. I stared at Grimmjow, eyes full of panic. He narrowed his eyes and softly set the plate on the table, setting the scene.

"Go," he whispered, jaw clenched tightly. "Run, I'll bring this too you later." I bit my lip nervously, not sure if I'd be able to escape back to my room without getting caught. But, I couldn't take the chance. There was no telling _what_ Aizen would do if he knew I was out of my room. It's bad enough the silver haired creep probably told him that Grimmjow had paid me a special visit. Without another second of hesitation, I slipped out the door I came in through and ran in the opposite direction, away from Aizen and towards my room. As though I had walked these halls a million times, my body led me to the wide open doors of my cell. I silently slipped inside and softly shut the door behind me, breathing heavy. My heart pounded hard against my chest and I staggered over to my bed, narrowly escaping an encounter with a cretin. I took a deep breath and curled up under the covers, closing my eyes for just a second. And before I knew it, the night had taken me away.


End file.
